Our second "child", Brian was the product of an internet search for "rescue" and "golden retriever puppy", leading me to the site for an Irish Setter rescue group. This group, though breed-specific, happened to rescue a gorgeous and very pregnant golden retriever in Tennessee.
A couple of months later, the preggy mom gave birth to a litter of furballs cute enough to be o
n the cover of an L.L. Bean catalogue. Eight weeks after that, two of them, "Bruiser" and "Chubbs", were on a Delta flight to Connecticut. One went to a co-worker, the other to us. Bruiser was promptly renamed "Brian", after the character in our favorite cartoon "Family Guy" and/or "Brian Boru", the fearless Irish King. Something about the way he physically and verbally attacked makeshift barriers ten times his height and size, in our lame attempt to cordon off a playpen area in our then tiny apartment, made him look fearless indeed.
I'd have to admit, our first few months with Brian weren't easy. He had severe separation anxiety, and destroyed the house while we were away. Just when we thought that the whole house was puppy-proofed and all remaining items practically nailed to the floor, we would still be greeted by rampage and destruction. This coupled with Brian's pitifully ashamed "sorry mom and dad, I just couldn't help it" look. We were definitely spoiled by the angelic older brother, Comet, who did not destroy a thing post-teething.Then, a slew of medical issues: Brian got mange, requiring several chemical dips for treatment. He also developed entropic eyelids, requiring a couple of surgeries. At which point my spouse was almost tempted to mail this dog back to Tennessee.
Sept '07: After 3 weeks at an out-of-country conference, I came back and found Brian and Mark inseparable. I guess they just needed some man-to-k9 bonding time!
Month by month our exuberant and energetic pup eventually mellowed out into the super-affectionate and happy dog that he is today, still goofy in an entertaining way.
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